On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 7:33 PM, Randy Isaac <randyisaac@comcast.net> wrote:
> Yes, you have a good point. Any specific application will probably have a
> more relevant benchmark. Linpack is probably chosen because it is the most
> widely available and gives a common reference point across many
> applications. That's why I said it was a good proxy for a trend. But it
> wouldn't be good for specific quantitative performance of any given
> application.
>
> Ah yes, the relevance of the topic? I better watch out before I get
> reprimanded by the moderators!!
>
> No, it's not directly related to science/faith issues but there are many
> indirect implications. One, as Rich noted when he started this, is the
> rapidly growing capability to do very complex modelling, continually
> improving the quality and credibility. Another, totally different,
> implication was brought up by someone a few weeks ago who asked me whether I
> thought the rapidly growing computer performance capability would mean that
> someday computers would outdo humans in mental capability, whatever that
> might mean. I continue to maintain the answer to that is no, though many
> transhumanists would argue otherwise.

Actually, Randy, there is something that brings this last observation
back on topic.

Although you maintain the answer is "no" that computers would out-do
humans in mental capacity, if the answer turned out to be "yes" it
would be an immediate and complete refutation of Dawkins's famous
"Ultimate Boeing 747 gambit" argument - that the creator must be more
complex than that which is created - presumably we would have created
the computer that outdoes us.

In a weaker sense, the existence of computer chess programs like "Deep
Blue" that beat Kasparov (often thought to be the greatest player
ever) has already refuted the Dawkins complexity argument. Â The
programmers of Deep Blue know a lot less about playing chess than does
Kasparov, and if they played against their creation it would crush
them far more easily than it crushed Kasparov.

Iain

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